William Robert Fountains Addison
Encyclopedia
William Robert Fountains Addison VC
(18 September 1883 – 7 January 1962) was an English
recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
Addison was 32 years old, and a Chaplain in the Army Chaplain's Department, British Army
, T/Chaplain of the Forces, 4th Class during the First World War
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 9 April 1916 at Sanna-i-Yat, Mesopotamia
, the Reverend William Addison carried a wounded man to the cover of a trench and helped several others to the same cover after binding up their wounds under heavy rifle and machine-gun fire. In addition to these unaided efforts, his splendid example and utter disregard of personal danger, encouraged the stretcher-bearers to go forward under heavy fire and collect the wounded.
A replica set of Addison's medals are on display at The Museum of Army Chaplaincy
.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(18 September 1883 – 7 January 1962) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Addison was 32 years old, and a Chaplain in the Army Chaplain's Department, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, T/Chaplain of the Forces, 4th Class during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 9 April 1916 at Sanna-i-Yat, Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
, the Reverend William Addison carried a wounded man to the cover of a trench and helped several others to the same cover after binding up their wounds under heavy rifle and machine-gun fire. In addition to these unaided efforts, his splendid example and utter disregard of personal danger, encouraged the stretcher-bearers to go forward under heavy fire and collect the wounded.
A replica set of Addison's medals are on display at The Museum of Army Chaplaincy
The Museum of Army Chaplaincy
The Museum of Army Chaplaincy is a museum at Amport House, Hampshire, United Kingdom, which tells the story of British Army Chaplaincy from earliest times to the present day with the help of archive material and historical relics from several centuries...
.
External links
- Grave refurbished
- Burial location of William Addison (Brookwood Cemetery)
- The Brookwood Cemetery Society (Holders of the Victoria Cross Commemorated in Brookwood Cemetery)
- William Addison at Find-A-Grave